Lee Westwood had cut defending champion Sergio Garcia’s lead to three shots when the final round of the Andalucía Valderrama Masters was suspended due to the threat of lightning on Sunday afternoon.
A series of weather delays on the opening three days at Real Club Valderrama forced tournament organisers to reduce the event to 54 holes on Saturday.
There was a further one-hour suspension shortly after play got under way on Sunday morning but things soon brightened up and the players returned to the course at 10.35am local time.
Overnight leader Garcia, who is looking to make it a hat-trick of Andalucía Masters victories after winning the 2011 edition and repeating the trick last year, extended his lead to five strokes when he followed up three opening pars with his first birdie of the day at the fourth, courtesy of a brilliant 20-foot putt.
But after local favourite Garcia missed his close-range par putt at the fifth to drop back to ten under par, Westwood followed up three straight birdies from the second with another gain at the eighth to jump to seven under.
Irishman Shane Lowry and Spaniard Gonzalo Fernández-Castaño were another shot back on six under after making strong starts on Sunday.
Westwood, a 23-time European Tour winner, opened his birdie account at the second when he drained his 25-foot putt from the fringe.
And after knocking in from ten feet at the third, the Englishman made it three-in-a-row at the fourth to get to six under.
Westwood, who has his son Sam on the bag this week, rolled in his ten-foot birdie putt at the eighth to trim Garcia’s lead to three shots before the hooter sounded at 1.49pm local time.
Seven-time European Tour winner Fernández-Castaño was among those who arrived in Andalucía needing a big week in order to retain his playing privileges.
The 38-year-old, who is a member at this week’s host venue, produced opening rounds of 70 and 68 to give himself a good chance on Sunday.
And he made a brilliant start to his final round, holing from eight feet at the second green to pick up his first shot of the day before notching another birdie at the next to jump to six under.
Lowry, meanwhile, carded three birdies in four holes from the fourth to join Fernández-Castaño in a tie for third.
Mikko Korhonen was alone in fifth place on five under after carding four birdies and a bogey in his first nine holes.
Credit: European Tour
